AI transfers and irate fans - 113 days of chaos at Sheffield United

On 24 May, Sheffield United were 14 minutes away from promotion to the Premier League. Just 113 days later, they are taking drastic action to avoid a Championship relegation fight.

On Sunday, the Blades sacked manager Ruben Selles after losing all six of their games so far in the 2025-26 season.

They are bottom of the Championship, below even crisis-hit rivals Sheffield Wednesday. A 5-0 loss to Ipswich on Friday means they have conceded 14 goals in those six matches, and have not scored in the league since their opening game.

It left Selles' position untenable and he was relieved of his position on Sunday morning, with the club statement saying the decision had been made following a "disappointing start" to the campaign.

To save their season, the Blades are turning to a familiar face. BBC Sport understands Chris Wilder will return to Bramall Lane for his third spell in charge, capping approximately three months of madness at the club.

"The owners appear to be admitting defeat, holding their hands up and making amends," BBC Sheffield sports editor Rob Staton said. "It's rare you see that level of humility in football.

"Wilder loves Sheffield United and will be jumping at the chance to get back in and get things going again. He knows the club better than anyone, will be able to walk back in and crack on quickly.

"It's an incredible set of events that will be all the more remarkable if he turns United's season around. There's still plenty of time left to get them up the table."

Wilder was replaced by Selles in the summer after the 57-year-old Englishman's second stint as Blades boss ended in play-off heartbreak.

A total of 92 points from 46 matches in the regular Championship season was only enough for third place last year for Wilder's United, as they finished 10 points off centurions Leeds and Burnley.

United thumped Bristol City 6-0 in the play-off semi-finals, and led Sunderland in the Wembley final until the 76th minute. But Tyrese Campbell's opener was cancelled out by Eliezer Mayenda, then in the 95th-minute Tom Watson's winner condemned the Blades to a record 10th failure to earn promotion through the play-offs.

Wilder exited in June, nearly a month after the play-off final. Selles was announced less than an hour later, after impressing at Reading and Hull previously. But on the pitch it went wrong from the very start.

Bristol City, the side Sheffield United beat so comprehensively in the play-offs, thumped them 4-1 at Bramall Lane. Selles gave his players a very public dressing down on the pitch in front of fans after the game.

The Blades then lost at Birmingham in the League Cup, before narrow defeats against Swansea, Millwall and league leaders Middlesbrough. The thrashing at Ipswich proved the final straw.

The chaos at Sheffield United extends beyond the pitch too. Selles' comments upon taking the Bramall Lane role hinted that rumours of Wilder being uncomfortable with AI-led recruitment models may not have been far off the mark.

Selles was the choice of new owners, US-based consortium COH Sports, who completed a long-awaited takeover in December 2024. Wilder signed a new deal soon after, but it does not seem like he was the board's man – although it is hard to know for sure, because they have not yet given any interviews.

Last summer, United's spine was ripped out as three key players all left - defender Anel Ahmedhodzic, midfielder Vini Souza and striker Kieffer Moore.

Coming in the other way were two unknown players from the Bulgarian league, plus young loanees Tyler Bindon and Louie Barry. These were the only men signed before the loss to Bristol City on the opening day.

In contrast, the final days of the window were a flurry of action. Experienced striker Danny Ings, Atlanta midfielder Ben Godfrey and Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga all arrived.

Then on deadline day, four more players were signed including veteran defenders Mark McGuinness and Ben Mee – but former club captain Jack Robinson was allowed to leave for Birmingham.

"There definitely was a plan to use AI and analytics," Staton told BBC Sport. "The argument would be that teams like Brentford have used this for a long time, so it was not that out there.

"But none of the players they have signed have had an impact, and before the window closed they seemed to revert to a conventional policy - signings you would attribute to recruitment staff at the club already.

"I don't know if they have abandoned the AI model, but there has been a shift, and the club have signed players who would appeal to Wilder."

Selles was under pressure from the start. One supporter called BBC Radio Sheffield's football phone-in after the opening-day hammering saying the Spaniard should go.

By the evening of 12 September, following the 5-0 loss at Ipswich, one caller had become dozens. Selles had lost the fans.

"The tactics didn't work, he was very aggressive with a front-loaded team and one sitting midfielder," Staton said of why Selles failed.

"The fans, it went sour immediately and it felt with every passing game it was getting worse. He was given a volley of abuse at Boro. We had a phone-in on Friday and we had fans calling in saying he had to go."

Selles has been hampered by players who starred under Wilder, like Sydie Peck, Harrison Burrows and Michael Cooper, all losing their form this campaign. Gus Hamer, last year's top player in the Championship, sat on the bench as Ipswich hit United for five, as did key striker Tyrese Campbell.

But Staton does not think they downed tools.

"I went to Spain for the training camp, [there was] no hint the players didn't like Selles," he said. "But the body language on the pitch told a different story.

"When they conceded, they folded like a pack of cards - we saw that against Ipswich."

So 113 days after the play-off final, Sheffield United look to be heading back to where they started. They will hope it is not too late.